Garment



March 28, 1950 I KANTQR 2,501,818

GARMENT Filed July 15, 1946 INVENTOR Harry Kan Z01".

ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 28, 1950 GARMENT of New York.

Application Jfl'l'"'13,"- 1946 Seria1 NU:- 683;505

5;.Claims; 1.:

Thisfinvention :relates $170 garments in generaL. andiespecially torwhat "may bevconsidered freeaetiorrgarments; wherein means are provided for assuring an -.unrestricted irnovement of both thearms andatheeuppercbody portion-ohthewearer;

Onewof the-objects of the .present inventioniis toaprovide-in 11113111191321 portion cigarmentsabore thea-waist-sa so-toespeak:selfaclosing;oriselfefolde ing; pleat structure; ,composedot 1 two. outer 1 setsand an inner set of pleats,-the:outer'set-"of-.-p1eats. extending-from! points at :the loaelnandbothisides of; theuwaist towardapproximately,half way; ofthe back sleeve.- shou'lder portions and :fromabout midway ofthe shoulder portions in. theironttto: points at the front .an'd-..sides of thevwa-istlinen Anotherobject of this-invention is to [providesuch. self closing: pleats v with: stiffened: or. rein-v forcedsedges, vwhich-Jlatter:facilitate rand "ind-nee an automatic"; closing or folding: against one anotherofthe-garment material. elements form-- ingrthe pleatsawhelo: the-garment is not subj ected-v to stressescaused by upward, sidewise enforward: movements of the-sleeves;

Another object of the present invention. :is 1130i provide-winucombinationwiththe upper portionof a: garment, self-closinggp-leats arranged infront and;.-back-thereof-,xand wherein the pleats are so, constructed: as to automatically; foldmponthem-p selves :When not under stress :a-ndto readily "unfold y when .subject .vto :stress causedby; the' movement of theqarms; and; iwhereimspecial-ly -d;esi'ghedz inr-.- serts-;are providedaatiithewarm pit portion-of ithe: sleeve,;which inserts extend; into :the interior pleat" portions and are adapted. to .afacilitatez-theiopene ing ofi the zpleatsiwhenz thersleeves v iareornovedi from their normal clownwardvpositiontto.forwardaside wise orelevated'positionsn Another; object .105:athis:inventionnisstozprovide? self-closing pleats Withr; reinforced or: stifiened: edges, wherein? thee reintoreementror: stifiening is:;effected.;by one :v-or :morezcontinuous :courses'tof stitching: -a-long the :edges'of the pleats; and-..which: stitching ;extendszin. the-back. pleats. from::points: in: back; of the waistline-.-towards-= approximately the middle of the shoulder portion-,; then over the: shouldertozabout the middle of the ShOUIdBIPOI'I tion; at the front, and: from thereonz along; the: frontal pleats c-to ipointsrat, theffront of theawai-st- 1 liner,

Thea oregoingaandiotheraobjects:andimportant? 2'. advantages: of :the'. present invention-willdaecome more fully understood from the ensuingjoescriw tiorr'in coniunctioniwitlrthe iaccompanyingidrawings;.:wherein Fig." 1 is 'a front-elevations of agarment equippedv with:se1f=closingspleat vstructures,:xin accordance with th'epresent invention;

Fig.2 is :a. rear :viewthereof Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view ofathe-gpleat construction including the armopit tinsert Fig; Axis: a plant orrbottom. view: of the arm pita sleeve portion; and:

Fig: 5 isxan' enlarged-sectiontakenion line 5-5; through Fig.3; I

Referring". now: to the drawings; numeral. I 0: denotes azzwomanfsidress twhich buttons inn-front: at its upper; half; andnwhereinjthe "portion joflthe: garment f aboventhes' waistline-1 belt i I l r 151-60 constructed as to-:produce;-two-';openab1e;: continuous:

\ front iareas vorcfront 'panels I 2 'rand a continuous,

backrareaw or rbackrpanelv l3; andrwherein both front and-rear 'areashave-.-reinforcedi 'edge'. forma-v tions-z! diand {I 5;:respectively; and which front and" rear areas terminaterandxarejoined'at about mid I wayxof- :and form sleevesh-ouldel portions I 6; Joen'eath': which are: providedv arm openings) I66. Attachedto the edges of opening 1 6-; and dependw ing from them-:are sleeves; l6; Reinforcedfedgei formations-M an'dzl 5rofnthe-front and rear panels: are-': pa1't1y;cattachec1=;tozithe upperr'edge portions;

ofeth'ei arrrropenings androfitheysleevesfiqasindiecatedf'inrtfront ati'l I andtirrzback atklfl; The rein-v foreement oi zthesesedgee-foundations ;consists, of:

one or; more; stifiening courses: of stitching i, I9; which stitchingz,:coursesxextend; :ovemthe; shoulder.- tops'as indicatedaatifl;

Eront, ;andrz:rearrportionss l 2 and; I3 are convnected'gbetween i:theirrstitchereinforeedaedges l4 andixl5'ibman accordion arrangement of-multiple plea-115; asclearlyiindicated inrFigt 5.- Thatnpleat arrangementnconsists 0f two: exterior pleats 2 landeEl and :azsingle interior or: central pleat 22; which? latter pleat is @su-bstantiallydeeper onwiderthan outer pleats 2| and 2|. Exterior p1eat 2| is composed of inwardly and outwardlyldirected sections 22 and; 2 .l b, ,while- -exterior pleat -2 l is construct-eds of: similar irnzvan-llyiv andoutwardly: directed! SCtiOI1S::- 2 I iaeand 2 l 'b: l Central @pleat 22sisecomposed,:otftwo-inwardlydirectedcsections 22a: and,22b; the 'interiorredgesof. which sections v are sewed together by reinforcing stitching 22' which latter serve as reinforcements for their joined edges to normally hold sections 22a and 22b of center pleat 22 in close adjacency. The outer edges of pleat sections 22a and 221) are not stitched and connect with outwardly directed pleat sections Zlb and 2lb of the exterior pleats 2| and 2|.

It will be noted that the interior edges of the exterior pleats connecting their respective inwardly and outwardly directed sections are also not stitch-reinforced, similar to the outer edges of interior pleat 22, whereby these unstitched connecting edges are rendered more pliable and less resistant to a temporary displacement than the stitch-reinforced, joined inner edges of interior pleat 22 and the outer edges of exterior pleats l4 and I5. Thus when the accordion pleat arrangement is momentarily subjected to an outward pulling action, the unstitched pleat edges will readily unfold, but will just as readily reassume their original position when the pulling action ceases. That reverting of the pleats to their normal position is due to reinforcing stitching 22' and I9 at the joined edges of interior fold 22 and at the outer edges of exterior folds l4 and I5, respectively.

At the arm pit portions of the sleeves there are provided inserts 23 which are substantially diamond-shaped, as clearly seen in Fig. 4, the outward edges 24 of which extend into the sleeves, while the inner edges 25 are connected with sections 22a and 22b of central pleat 22, as clearly seen in Fig. 4.

Exterior pleats 2| and 2| are intended to automatically assume their self-closing position as exaggeratedly illustrated in Fig. 5. When, however, the sleeves are brought from their normal downward position to an upward, forward or sidewise position, inserts 23 will pull the interior pleat 22 outwards, and outer exterior pleats 2i and 2! will immediately open, thereby effecting complete freeness in the action of movement of both arms and of the upper body portion. When the strain caused by the upward movement of the sleeve is relieved, inserts 23 revert to their normal inward position, and the reinforced edges of the several pleats bring their respective sections to their normal, folded or closing position.

The aforedescribed construction of garments, although being primarily intended for wear by women engaged in sports such as bowling, tennis, golf, horseback riding, etc., the garment presents a very neat and dressy appearance for everyday use. Due to the fact that the pleats of the garment automatically assume their normal, closed or folded position when the sleeves are permitted to depend naturally, the features for providing free movement of the wearers arms and the upper body portion remain hidden from view. Thus the garment may be used either for sports or for street wear, and obviates change of clothing heretofore necessary for such dual purposes.

While in the foregoing a specific construction of the automatically folding pleat structure is presented, changes and improvements may readily be incorporated therein, without departing from the scope of this invention as defined in the annexed claims.

I claim:

1. In a womans dress having a waist, the combination with the waist, of pleat structures at the sides thereof, each pleat structure comprising a relatively wide interior pleat and two exterior pleats of lesser width adjacent thereto, the

inner edge of the interior pleat and the exterior edges of the exterior pleats being reinforced over their entire length, sleeves provided with the Waist, inserts in the sleeves operatively connected with the interior pleats, said pleat structure being adapted to remain normally closed so that the reinforced edges of the exterior pleats are in adjacency with the outer edges of the interior pleat, and is further adapted to be opened and to unfold by the movement of the sleeve insert, induced by moving the wearer's arm either in upward, sidewise or forward directions, and to automatically reassume its normal, folded position when the strain caused by the arm movement upon the sleeve insert ceases.

2. A garment having two openable front panels and a continuous back panel, the rear and front panles being joined to form shoulder structures of the garment and having arm openings at their upper ends, sleeves attached to the arm openings; the front and rear panels being joined along their sides by an accordion arrangement of pleats, that pleat arrangement consisting of two exterior pleats and a central interior pleat formed between the exterior pleats, each of the exterior pleats comprising inwardly and outwardly directed sections, the central pleat having two normally adjacent, much wider outwardly directed sections, the interior edges of which are joined and stitch-reinforced; diamond-shaped inserts provided at the arm pit portions of the sleeves, the two outward edges of the inserts being attached to the sleeves, the interior edges of the inserts being secured to the two sections and their joined edges of the central pleat.

3. In a womans dress, an upper garment portion above the waistline comprising two continuous front panels and a continuous back panel, both front panels and the back panel having stitch-reinforced outer edges, shoulder structures formed by the joined upper parts of the front panels and the back panel, sleeves extending from the shoulder structures, the portions of the edge reinforcements of the joined front and back panels passing over and being aflixed to the outer top edges of the shoulder structures and to the upper edges of the sleeves, self-closing pleat structures connecting the front panels with the back panel and forming the sides of the upper garment portion above the waistline and extending both in front and in back from approximately midway of the shoulder structure downwardly and comprising a relatively wide interior pleat and two adjacent exterior pleats, substantially diamond-shaped inserts provided at the arm pits of the sleeves and connecting the latter with the interior pleats, the inner joined edges of the interior pleat and the outer edges of the exterior pleats being reinforced by stitching.

4. In a womans dress as per claim 3, the reinforcements at the outer edges of the exterior pleats coinciding with the stitch-reinforcements at the outer edges of the front and back panels of the upper garment portion.

5. In a womans dress having waist and skirt portions forming continuations of each other, said dress being composed of two continuous front panels and a continuous back panel, an accordionshaped pleat structure connecting the front panels with the back panel and forming the sides of the waist, said pleat structures comprising a relatively deep interior pleat, composed of two normally adjacent pleat sections joined at their inner edges, and two adjacent exterior pleats of lesserdepth, the edges of the front panels and 5 of the back 'panel forming the outer edges of the REFERENCES CITED exterior pleats stitch-reinforcements provided at The following references are of record m the these outer edges of the exterior pleats and at 1 the inner joined edges of the sections of the inis of this patent terior pleat, the front panels and the rear panel 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS being connected to form garment shoulders, sleeve Number Name Date structures depending from the latter, inserts ar- 1,065 384 Nathan June 24, 1913 ranged at the arm pit of the sleeves and being l'445350 UDOnnell et a1 Feb 13, 1923 operatively connected with the sections of the 2 3123777 Shower a] Man 2 1943 interior pleat and their joined, stitch-reinforced m 213445462 Koret Man 14 1944 Inner edges- 2,374,314 Volk Apr. 24, 1945 HARRY KANTOR. 

